Iraqi police beat news photographer

[Faw_Peter]

five Iraqi policemen struck him on the head with AK-47 rifles, an Iraqi Interior Ministry official said. he was just doing his job

[Steven]

there are thousands of such cases in Iraq probably every day

[Terry]

Iraq is not a place for journalists, they should have long time ago realized this fact

[Terry]

Thank God the time when US/European reporters are kidnapped in Iraq passed! Those were awful times.

[Faw_Peter]

I remember watching a movie (broadcasted on news) of three guys cutting the throat of an American. It was awful

[M.Helen]

Kidnapping will contunue in Iraq as long as the war is not ended. A recent attempt of kidnap was on July 2, current year. Read here <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/2236044/Hizbollah-'planned-kidnap-of-British-workers-in-Iraq'.html">http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/ ... Iraq'.html</a><!-- m -->

[Benn]

What is really bad, is that the governments, the forces of which are in Iraq, have never fulfilled the terrorists' requirements for saving the hostages.

[angel]

thats really worse, the police should be protected them from the terrorists' not beat them.
the situations will more worse from time to time.

[Steven]

why should it worsen? I think it will improve, at least due to the fact that USA established there its desirable government.

[Faw_Peter]

The Iraqi police is independent from the Government in its actions. The government formally is changed, but not the people's mentality who work there.

[Steven]

Iraqi policemen are monsters! Take a look at them, this picture was taken at a ceremony in Iraq on the occasion of a military holiday or something alike.
Imagine these guys beating a news photographer :banghead

[M.Helen]

Imagine these guys beating a news photographer :banghead

very funny Steven, I don't even want to imagine. Once Iraqi police has a special military day, I think they should be enough educated and quite competent people. The case of photographer beating probably was made by some guys that don't deserve at all their position in police department.

[Karl.in.eu]

I had finally found a real photo from that event, from CNN, I think, and I may say, the policemen on the picture were not that fit as in the steven’s photo. Regular people, but they were like 4 or 5 of them beating him, while he was already on the ground. Cruel..
Should this be the results of the American democracy?

[Faw_Peter]

Should this be the results of the American democracy?

Definitely not, at least if America's intentions indeed were to establish democracy. I don't think such things may happen in the USA. Photographers/reporters/journalists have more than enough freedom there.

[Hakan G]

I agree with the democracy fact and USA's intentions
But it seems that journalists have some sort of freedom if such pictures could be made. Because the event seemed to be taking place in a backyard, surrounded by fences.

[Terry]

probably they were very busy beating the news photographer.

[Karl.in.eu]

Here is an actual photo of that event.

[Nicholas]

The man lying down is a photo reporter for Reuters. This incident happened when the Iraqi police asked for everybody to clear the place after another bomb exploded in the area, but the journalist kept on shooting pictures of the injured people.

[Faw_Peter]

he was stubborn and he got what he should have got! However I don't back such actions.

[Nicholas]

You're soooo selfish :oops:

[Terry]

why selfish? I think he is right - the police has its rules, and if it allows others to interfere, there is no discipline anymore.

[Steven]

that gives no right to behave that way. Terry, what if your friend was that journalist, I thiink you would say the opposite words.

[Nicholas]

why selfish? I think he is right - the police has its rules, and if it allows others to interfere, there is no discipline anymore.

The situation is actually not discipline but abuse.

[Hakan G]

My God..
I cannot imagine if the journalist was from Russia, or have a Russian passport… Would’ve Russia then enter Iraq?
At least this is their argument for Osettia

[Benn]

Let's not raise another Georgian talk here. What I can say is that Americans actually acted quite incorrectly not to protect their citizen.